“Then give me half of everything you once owned,” Charlie snips. “Make Lottie do it. Prove that you love me.”
Nell lifts her chin. “I’m afraid that’s legally up to your sister.” She nods to Carlotta. “And are you keeping out of trouble?”
“You know me, Mama. I’m the Teflon con.” She gives a cheeky wink. “If I’ve got a will, I always find a way.”
If that isn’t Carlotta in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.
Nell sighs my way. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social visit. I’ve come to give you something—I’d hesitate to call it special, but I have a message for you Lottie, in the form of a vision.”
Carlotta sucks in a quick breath. “Hear that, Lot Lot? The man upstairs is about to give you a sneak peek of what’s to come.”
Charlie sniffs. “More like who’s going to land in her bed in the near future. That’s the only real mystery surrounding my not-so-sweet sister. So what is it?”
“Yeah, Mama.” Carlotta nudges her. “I want in on this crystal ball action.”
Nell gives a pleasant laugh, and Lyla Nell coos as she looks up at her namesake.
“I’m afraid the man upstairs frowns heavily on crystal balls,” Nell says. “His visions are doled out a bit more organically than that, but for the sake of sharing it with all three of you at once…” She lifts her finger toward the wall of the bakery, and the air begins to ripple as an image appears over it. A scene begins to form. I can see the woods, then Noah and Everett staggering into the frame. Everett shouts something at Noah. They’re both pointing in front of them, arguing as Everett tells Noah to turn back. The distinct sound of a gunshot goes off, and Everett gives Noah a hard shove that sends him flying backward. Everett looks before him once again, and another gunshot goes off. Everett charges forward, but another shot comes and strikes him in the chest, then another, and another. Everett’s body bucks as he struggles to continue to step toward the woods, then he collapses in a heap. He begins to rise, and yet his body remains on the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Carlotta smacks me on the arm. “This isn’t a good sign, Lot Lot.”
Everett turns our way and looks right at me before the entire picture disappears into thin air.
“What the hell was that, Nell?” I whisper with my eyes still fixated on the blank wall. “You have to stop it.”
“I’m sorry, Lottie.” Nell floats before me, her hand still shielding Lyla Nell’s eyes, and thankfully so. “But I’m afraid you’re the only one who has the power to stop the horrific events that are set to happen.”
“How?” My voice hikes as I look to her in horror.
Nell lands the baby back in my arms and offers a peaceable smile. “That’s something I’m sure you’ll figure out.” And with that, she begins to dissipate into a spray of dazzling stars.
“Wait!” I call out. “When is this set to take place?”
“Within the next month, Lottie.” Her voice comes out in a whisper. “You’ll have to work quickly. I’d hate for you to lose him so very soon.”
“No,” I say, incensed. “I’m not going to lose Everett at all.”
Nell grows fainter by the moment. “By your own actions, you have the power to stop this.”
“Then I will,” I whisper as Nell disappears for good. I shoot a look to Carlotta and Charlie. “Don’t either of you dare say a word of this to anyone, especially not Everett.”
I spot Noah and Everett coming this way and head over and meet them halfway.
“What was that about?” I snip as I nod in the direction those two mob monsters were holing up a minute ago. So help me God, if one of them dares gun down my husband, there will be hell to pay, and hell’s name will be Lottie Lemon.
Everett blows out a breath of frustration himself as he glowers at Noah a moment.
“Manny made bail.” Everett looks as if he’s fit to kill. “He says he didn’t have the money or the drugs, and the search teams didn’t find anything. Either he’s expertly hiding them or he’s telling the truth.”
“What about the hits?” My heart does its best to drum right out of my chest. “Are they back on? Are the two of you a couple of walking dead men?” I didn’t mean for it to come out crude, but I’m so angry with whoever thinks it’s a good idea to point a gun at Noah and Everett, I’m fit to kill as well.
Noah lowers his chin, and I can see it in his eyes that he has no intention of answering the question.
“The arrest was a bust,” he says, and he only proves me right. “Jimmy and Luke said they sent their men to talk to Manny, and it turns out, Manny gave the briefcases away like a hot potato once he found out who they belonged to.”
Everett’s chest expands. “And that means Luke expects me to find the money and wash it—and until then, I’d better wear a good Kevlar vest.”
Noah nods. “And Jimmy has something planned for me, too. Exactly what, I don’t know. He says we’ll talk.”
My heart thumps wildly. “Where do you think those briefcases are?”
Noah draws in a deep breath. “Rooster either still has them or he gave them away for safekeeping.”
“Safekeeping?” I hold Lyla Nell close. “Who do you think he gave them to?”
“Well, lookie here.” Rooster comes up with a denim shirt and a ten-gallon cowboy hat on, looking as sleazy as ever, but his clothes are new, I can tell by the long sticker running down one pant leg with the 36 X 34 written across it. “Turn those frowns upside down. You’ve all got a beautiful baby there to take care of, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing. No reason to look as if a frog did his business in your coffee.”
Noah’s chest grows in size. “You have them, don’t you? You do realize that parading around Honey Hollow with your newfound wealth is a surefire way of putting a target on your back.”
Everett’s nostrils flare. “You’re being used, Rooster.”
“Used?” Rooster’s body jerks as he shouts the word with anger. “Nobody uses Shelby Hardy Tuttle. I’ll have ya know, I’m the most powerful man in all of Vermont,” he crows as he stalks off in a fury.
“I’d say he is the most dangerous man,” I whisper as Carlotta and Charlie come up.
Charlie huffs in his wake, “I knew we should have killed him while we had the chance.”
Carlotta nods. “Rooster always finds a way to rule the roost.”
Noah shakes his head. “Not this roost.”
Everett’s chest expands with his next breath. “I’ll find a way to get rid of him.”
Here’s hoping he won’t get rid of Everett first.
I don’t know who plans on pumping bullets into my husband’s chest, but I’ll do any and everything to stop them.
And I will.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Lottie’s latest adventure in Honey Hollow!
Up next: Things go from festive to deadly at the yearly Fourth of July spectacular. Grab it here today—>Red, White, and Blueberry Muffin Murder
See you in Honey Hollow!
Recipe
From the kitchen of the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery
Lottie’s Key Lime Pie
Hey all! It’s spring in my neck of the woods. It’s warm out, Honey Lake is brimming with tourists, and I’m baking up a storm of my favorite spring treats. Among the top of the list are my key lime pies. It’s easier to make than most people think, and it’s such a hit with my family that I’ve been known to make it in and out of season. It has just the right amount of tartness to keep you coming back for more. Careful with this one. It’s addicting! Happy baking!
Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
15 whole graham crackers
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°
Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until well crumbled and texture is sandy. Add brown sugar and melted butter and blend. Place in pie pan (9 inch standard), molding it with the bott
om of a serving spoon. Work your way up the sides as well.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes and let cool.
Key Lime Pie Filling
Ingredients
28 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (two 14 oz. cans)
1 cup plain yogurt (Can be Greek yogurt or ¾ cup sour cream) *I’ve done it both ways and it’s equally as magical. I usually let it come down to what I have on hand.
1 tablespoon lime zest
¾ cup lime juice about 6-8 limes but have a few extra on hand just in case. They can be hard to squeeze so use a juice press. (Use key limes preferably but ordinary limes will do in a pinch.)
*Feel free to substitute fresh lime juice with the lime juice found in the produce section if you like.
Key Lime Pie
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° *(a lower temperature compared to the pie crust)
In a large mixing bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, yogurt/sour cream, lime zest, lime juice. Whisk together until blended well then pour into the graham cracker pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes, then pull out to cool and set. Once thoroughly cooled, place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Directions
Whipped Topping
Ingredients
*Just a quick note. You can substitute with whipped topping purchased at the store to save on time. The stuff from a can works great, too!
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
½ thinly sliced lime for garnish.
Directions
In a large bowl mix heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar. Whip until soft peaks form.
Place in a piping bag or simply dollop around the edges of the pie. Add thinly sliced lime for garnish on top of each whipped cream mound. You can twist the lime slice for added flare.
This pie is almost too pretty to eat, but you’ll have to take one for the team and have at it.
Enjoy!
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Paranormal Women’s Fiction
Hot Flash Homicides
Midlife in Glimmerspell
Wicked in Glimmerspell
Cozy Mysteries
Meow for Murder
An Awful Cat-titude
A Dreadful Meow-ment
A Claw-some Affair
A Haunted Hallow-whiskers
A Candy Cane Cat-astrophe
A Purr-fect Storm
A Fur-miliar Fatality
Country Cottage Mysteries
Kittyzen’s Arrest
Dog Days of Murder
Santa Claws Calamity
Bow Wow Big House
Murder Bites
Felines and Fatalities
A Killer Tail
Cat Scratch Cleaver
Just Buried
Butchered After Bark
A Frightening Fangs-giving
A Christmas to Dismember
Sealed with a Hiss
A Winter Tail of Woe
Lock, Stock, and Feral
Itching for Justice
Raining Cats and Killers
Death Takes a Holiday
Copycat Killer Thriller
Country Cottage Boxed Set 1
Country Cottage Boxed Set 2
Country Cottage Boxed Set 3
Murder in the Mix Mysteries
Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies
Bobbing for Bodies
Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice
Gingerbread & Deadly Dread
Seven-Layer Slayer
Red Velvet Vengeance
Bloodbaths and Banana Cake
New York Cheesecake Chaos
Lethal Lemon Bars
Macaron Massacre
Wedding Cake Carnage
Donut Disaster
Toxic Apple Turnovers
Killer Cupcakes
Pumpkin Pie Parting
Yule Log Eulogy
Pancake Panic
Sugar Cookie Slaughter
Devil’s Food Cake Doom
Snickerdoodle Secrets
Strawberry Shortcake Sins
Cake Pop Casualties
Flag Cake Felonies
Peach Cobbler Confessions
Poison Apple Crisp
Spooky Spice Cake Curse
Pecan Pie Predicament
Eggnog Trifle Trouble
Waffles at the Wake
Raspberry Tart Terror
Baby Bundt Cake Confusion
Chocolate Chip Cookie Conundrum
Wicked Whoopie Pies
Key Lime Pie Perjury
Red, White, and Blueberry Muffin Murder
Honey Buns Homicide
Apple Fritter Fright
Christmas Fudge Fatality
Murder in the Mix Boxed Sets
Murder in the Mix (Books 1-3)
Murder in the Mix (Books 4-6)
Murder in the Mix (Books 7-9)
Murder in the Mix (Books 10-12)
Murder in the Mix (Books 13-15)
Murder in the Mix (Books 16-18)
Murder in the Mix (Books 19-21)
Mystery
Little Girl Lost
Never Say Sorry
The First Wife’s Secret
Romance
Just Add Mistletoe
3:AM Kisses
3:AM Kisses
Winter Kisses
Sugar Kisses
Whiskey Kisses
Rock Candy Kisses
Velvet Kisses
Wild Kisses
Country Kisses
Forbidden Kisses
Dirty Kisses
Stolen Kisses
Lucky Kisses
Tender Kisses
Revenge Kisses
Red Hot Kisses
Reckless Kisses
Hot Honey Kisses
Shameless Kisses
The Social Experiment
The Social Experiment
Bitter Exes
Chemical Attraction
3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook
Feisty Kisses
Ex-Boyfriend Kisses
Secret Kisses
Naughty By Nature
Escape to Breakers Beach
Breakers Beach
Breakers Cove
Breakers Beach Nights
Escape to Lake Loveless
Beautiful Oblivion
Beautiful Illusions
Beautiful Elixir
Beautiful Deception
A Good Year for Heartbreak
Someone to Love
Someone to Love
Someone Like You
Someone For Me
A Totally ‘80s Romance Series
Melt With You (A Totally ’80s Romance 1)
Tainted Love (A Totally ’80s Romance 2)
Hold Me Now (A Totally ’80s Romance 3)
Paranormal Romance
(Celestra Book World in Order)
Ethereal
Tremble
Burn
Wicked
Vex
Expel
Toxic Part One
Toxic Part Two
Elysian
Ephemeral Academy
Ephemeral
Evanescent
Entropy
Ethereal Knights (Celestra Knights)
Season of the Witch (A Celestra Companion)
Celestra Forever After
Celestra Forever After
The Dragon and the Rose
The Serpentine Butterfly
Crown of Ashes
&n
bsp; Throne of Fire
All Hail the King
Roar of the Lion
Acknowledgments
Big thanks to YOU the reader! I hope you had a wonderful time. I can’t thank you enough for spending time in Honey Hollow with me. I hope you enjoyed this bumpy ride with Lottie and all of her Honey Hollow peeps as much as I did. The MURDER IN THE MIX mysteries are super special to me, and I hope they are to you as well. If you’d like to be in the know on upcoming releases, please be sure to follow me at Bookbub and Amazon, and sign up for my newsletter.
I am SUPER excited to share the next book with you! So much happens and so much changes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking this wild roller coaster ride with me. I really do love you!
A very big thank you to Kaila Eileen Turingan-Ramos, and Jodie Tarleton for being awesome.
A special thank you to my sweet betas, Lisa Markson, Ashley Marie Daniels, Amy Barber, Stacie Bucholtz, and Margaret Lapointe for looking after the book with their amazing beautiful eyes. And a shout out to Lou Harper for designing the world’s most beautiful cover.
A mighty BIG thank you to Paige Maroney Smith for being so amazing.
And last, but never least, thank you to Him who sits on the throne. Worthy is the Lamb! Glory and honor and power are yours. I owe you everything, Jesus.
Key Lime Pie Perjury: Cozy Mystery (MURDER IN THE MIX Book 34) Page 22